Chapter 2480: The Strange Ancient Bat Family (23)

At this moment, Shiller realized a problem, which was the best way to take on the Mad Laugh's endless premonitions with a head-to-head approach.

Theoretically, it's unsolvable, no matter what you do, Mad Laugh can always pop up in the end and say, "I predicted everything," dismissing that bunch of nonsensical explanations, which is basically a forced deus ex machina.

But if such a phenomenon exists, and Mad Laugh is the god being summoned, it proves that there indeed is someone summoning gods from behind the scenes, and it also proves there is some existence higher than the entire world, even capable of defying logic to spread chaos everywhere.

Since such things exist, they must also exist in some kind of cosmos or dimension, and to solve the problem of Mad Laugh, one cannot just solve Mad Laugh, one has to solve them too.

However, this is too difficult. If they truly are high-dimensional beings, then as characters within the plot, trying to solve them is as difficult as a computer file attempting to jump out of the computer to hit its owner.

But following this kind of law, there's another, relatively easier method to solve this.

Although Mad Laugh is a big lump, he's also a computer file. Up to now, he hasn't shown the ability to break the fourth wall like Harley or Deadpool, so it's plausible to assume that he can't see the world outside the computer.

Therefore, if a new file is created outside the computer and uploaded into it, Mad Laugh will also not know what this file is about. Because this file was created in the real world outside the computer screen, and if Mad Laugh cannot see the world beyond the screen, then he won't be able to know the creation process, and thus he cannot predict the kernel of this file or the actions based on this kernel.

If Shiller actually is this file created outside the computer screen, then everything can be explained because if it had to be Shiller to confront Mad Laugh head-on, he might also take this approach.

If we go by this logic, Shiller's journeys to and from the real world are not coincidences but part of a life-long plan.

But there are too many doubts in all this, for instance, the Doctor cannot possibly manipulate the actions of God and the son Lucifer. How could he, from so far away, cause Lucifer to have a mental collapse, making him want to disintegrate on the spot, forcing God to send away the soul of the little boy he met?

Also, recalling the details of Shiller's interactions with the Doctor, his complete personality collapse was way beyond what the Doctor had anticipated. During the treatment, the Doctor experienced breakdowns many times, expressing feelings like "Family, who understands"

It's quite similar to when Shiller treated Batman. He might have thought it would be difficult, but he never imagined it to be this hard.

If creating a file outside the computer screen to deal with Mad Laugh was the Doctor's plan, then no matter how idle he was, he surely wouldn't have written the file this way.

Shiller's Tower of Thought is, to some extent, another form of Mountain of Feces code. One cannot sing praises for this program running in a bizarre way against their conscience just because everyone who has encountered this level of mess realizes there's simply no need to shovel it anymore.

Although from the surface, Dr. Anatoli, who stubbornly carves flowers out of feces, seems rather pitiful, Shiller thinks this is actually a good change for the plan.

Because if even Dr. Anatoli, who can navigate inside and outside the computer, is unable to eradicate Shiller's issue, then Mad Laugh, who doesn't even know how the file was written, is even more clueless.

Now Shiller knew why he had waited here for so long, and Mad Laugh only sent over an ambiguous phrase and didn't even make any real aggressive moves. He probably couldn't figure out what this massive entity was all about.

Because Mad Laugh's actions towards Shiller are simply illogical. In the comics, he essentially belongs to the type who crash into the scene. Despite being set up as a schemer behind the scenes, he practically slaps his face onto the opponent every time he appears.

From Mad Laugh's dialogue, he seems to really enjoy this process, revealing a performance-type personality that is infatuated with the spotlight and attention.

Given that, from the time Shiller arrived in this universe till now, there have been countless opportunities for Mad Laugh to make a grand entrance, and Shiller, too, has imagined countless ways Mad Laugh might appear.

But the ultimate result was that Mad Laugh was nowhere to be found, "Mad Laugh, where are you? You are not in Gotham at all." Up to now, Shiller hasn't seen Mad Laugh even once.

It was one thing when Shiller was trapped in Gotham and didn't see him, but later Shiller went to the Prime Universe, held the Battleworld, and now nearly all the members of the Dark Knights are here, but Mad Laugh's whereabouts are still unknown. Shiller has reason to suspect Mad Laugh is avoiding him.

Of course, it's probably not out of fear. Shiller estimates that Mad Laugh is trying to figure out what this foreign file—Shiller—is all about.

So Shiller wonders, what kind of tactics will Mad Laugh take to spy on him? Or, from his own perspective, which tactics would be effective?

To be honest, although there seem to be many methods at first thought, there are basically none that can hit the bullseye because Shiller's thought process is too unique. Again, if Anatoli couldn't figure it out, Mad Laugh, who's probably still at a lower level, definitely can't either.

That meant opting for slower methods, which might still yield progress.

With this thought, Shiller suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Had he been mistaking consequence for cause?

Previously, he had believed that the Laughing Egg could be an object used for the Mad Laugh's resurrection, acting as a backup file containing all of the Mad Laugh's data, laid everywhere to ensure he could continue causing chaos even if he were killed one day.

However, there was also the possibility that this thing was a surveillance device. Because Shiller's thought structure was too complex for the Mad Laugh to penetrate or to place cameras within, he might have placed the cameras around Shiller, watching him from every angle with no blind spots.

For instance, the Batman from Shiller's universe—Shiller had always wondered what was so special about that universe, swimming in the vast cosmic sea, that the Mad Laugh had to choose that particular Batman as his resurrection vessel.

The Batman Shiller encountered there was, to put it nicely, very typical, or less charitably, lacked any unique features, just the very common public stereotype and comic book depiction of Batman. There were countless universes with such a Batman, and the only thing that set this universe apart from others was Shiller himself.

So it might also be possible that the Mad Laugh had once again anticipated the Doctor's anticipation. Knowing that the Doctor was looking to bring something into play, he had set up cameras in advance. It's also possible that at that time, it wasn't a camera at all, but some kind of weapon, or even just a clone of the Mad Laugh himself.

If it weren't for the unique nature of Shiller's file, he might have been swallowed by the Mad Laugh en route to digging out the Laughing Egg in the Psychic Battlefield. Then, the Mad Laugh would have another grand entrance, explaining how he brilliantly anticipated the Doctor's actions and devised this seamless counter-killing plan.

But lo and behold, the contraption arrived, it was just somewhat indescribable, and the Mad Laugh's counter-killing plan failed. He hadn't even gathered enough intelligence and still didn't understand what Shiller was all about.

However, if the Mad Laugh could be credited with one strength, it was his persistence. Once he had a plan, he preferred to see it through to the bitter end and refused to strategically retreat.

So, it's possible he made multiple attempts before realizing he could only plant more hidden cameras along Shiller's inevitable future path. As long as he could collect enough information, he would eventually crack the file's structure.

Shiller knew that even a novice Batman could discern a depth of understanding beyond the surface facts, and certainly, the Mad Laugh would realize this as well.

So, he executed the plan he had devised long ago—to pollute the Batmen of various universes and create a legion of Dark Knights. On the surface, he continued with this plan, but the ultimate goal had shifted from invading the Prime Universe on behalf of Barbados to legitimately surrounding Shiller with a plethora of cameras.

Upon closer examination, this plan might just be a feint, designed to divert the attention of Shiller and Batman. After all, the eggs hidden within the bodies of the Dark Universe Batmen were not particularly well-concealed; with Batman's abilities, they would soon be unearthed.

Thus, the plan might be bait, leading Batman and Shiller to investigate these eggs while the so-called mystical blood, unidentified contaminants, and dark energy were traps meant to distract their attention.

The real ace up the sleeve might very well be the Godspeed Reaper.

This represented an insidious mental trap. Now that the Mad Laugh knew there might be another grand world out there, he would be aware of the differences between the two worlds and the tremendous distance separating them.

If someone could travel freely between these two worlds, and that someone was specifically Shiller, then he would fall into a common thinking error akin to: "It's too chaotic over there. This side is safer," or "Back in the Marvel World, there isn't as much trouble. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

The human race fosters a homing instinct, even if transitioning from one battlefield to another, one still needs to choose a comparatively safer place as their Utopia, a notion which can alleviate anxiety.

So, with two worlds at play, one can easily determine which is better or worse, designating one as a battleground and the other as a primary base for rest.

Over time, one becomes extremely vigilant on the battlefield, proceeding with caution, while as soon as one returns to base, they immediately relax, dispelling anxiety and replenishing their mental energy.

Once dependent on such a pattern of thought, it becomes easy to be sharp and alert in the battleground world and completely clueless upon returning to base—an easy mark.

It seems highly unlikely that anything could break through from the battlefield to the base and pose a threat, given such immense distance and obstacles, but pushing just one egg through would be a massive advantage gained at any cost.

All tactical planning revolves around striking at vulnerabilities. Whether it's a feint, a maneuver, or a sudden assault, victory always hinges on the sword piercing the heart. So, no matter how much groundwork is laid, as long as the final blow is swift and sharp, all efforts are justified.

And the egg carried by the Godspeed Reaper, bound for the Marvel World, was exactly that—Mad Laugh's ultimate thrust amid his elaborate scheme.